Are you a Tori fan?  A Stabbing Westward fan?  Both?  I love both of these musicians, yet they really sound nothing alike.  In talking with many people on the internet, I have found that it is very common for Stabbing Westward fans to like Tori, and vice versa.  But why?  It would make sense for fans of Stabbing Westward to like the Cure, NIN, or Orgy - after all, these are industrial/gothic musicians.  Tori plays a piano and sings - that doesn't seem very industrial.  I have decided to write a page explaining my hypothesis on the topic.  If you have any questions or flames, my e-mail address is at the top.  I realize that it may seem somewhat sacreligious to compare these two musicians, but I feel that the similiarities are really interesting.

COOL CLOTHES
Tori's outfits are always original.  She wears jeans with a skirt, funky shoes, and will dye her eyebrows.  Stabbing Westward is always dressed to kill, featuring leather pants, silver vinyl shirts, and occasionally skirts.

EARLY BEGINNINGS
Tori started playing piano at the ripe old age of 2 years, and was quickly playing popular jingles.  Christopher began playing the trumpet at 4 years old and was playing Christmas tunes and jazz. Both were considered to be child prodigies.

EMOTIONS
Both performers sing about their life experiences.  In addition, both use powerful lyrics to describe such events.  For many musicians, lyrics are just something to add to the guitar and bass.  These two musicians prove that lyrics should be meaningful.  Furthermore, both become emotionally intense on stage, creating a power that in indescribable.

ESCAPE FROM LA
Yeah, they were both on the Escape from LA soundtrack...not that it has anything to do with anything!

LOVE
Stabbing Westward and Tori are both known for their love of their fans, and of music itself.  Both go to great extents to share with their fans and to show their appreciation for them.

RECOVERING FROM REJECTION
Christopher and Tori are both very strong people.  Tori was kicked out of the Peabody Institute (a highly prestigious music academy) at 11.  Christopher wanted badly to be a singer in the school musical but was told her couldn't sing.

RELIGION
Tori and Christopher both have interesting views on religion.  The daughter of a minister, Tori began questioning God as soon as she could talk.  A humorous note is that at two, she asked her father what Joseph would have done if Jesus was a girl.  Stabbing Westward's first album was entitled Ungod, and their demo tape questions how people can kill in the name of God.

SOUND
Christopher was very vocally influenced by Tori, and his singing reflects that.  He has been known to warm up with her song "Me and a Gun" before concerts, and I was lucky enough to obtain a tape of that.  I mixed his version of the song into hers, and I think you'll find that the similarities are amazing.  Click here to hear a clip of their "duet".  Both singers have unique ways of inflecting their voices in a way that brings out their emotions.

SURVIVING VIOLENCE
It seems that a great number of Tori's fans love her for her strength in recovering from being raped.  Although she does not want to be known only for that, many people still find comfort in her strength.  Christopher grew up in a violent home and developed depression as a result.  Many Stabbing Westward fans love his way of describing his feelings in such a way that he makes you realize that you're not the only person who feels that way.  In addition, he wrote a song called "Sleep" about his ex-girlfriend's childhood, during which she was repeatedly raped by her father.

TRENT REZNOR
Tori dated this NIN frontman.  He also did background vocals for her.  She refers to "nine inch nails" in "Precious Things" and he named his album "Pretty Hate Machine" after her.  Andy, drummer of Stabbing Westward, used to drum for NIN.

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